Make Dog Socks

You can make dog socks by knitting or crocheting them.

• Cover a bandage
• Serve as decoration
• Or show some team spirit

• Embroider designs/your dog's name with yarn
• Thread ribbon through your work
• Glue on sequins, homemade dog bows etc.
• Sew on decals or applique pieces

The knitting and crochet patterns shown below to make dog socks are based on very basic designs. Of course, you can get much fancier with cables, knots, using more than one color, etc.

Choose any size yarn and needle you want, but keep the following in mind:

• The finer the yarn and needle, the tighter the weave is likely to be
• A really thick yarn may be uncomfortable for your dog to wear and difficult to put on
• A large diameter needle may create a very open weave that may not keep your dog warm

Before you start to make dog socks, the most important thing to know is approximately how many stitches it takes for you to produce a centimeter or an inch of the pattern you are wanting to use.

If you're not sure, make a practice piece using 20 stitches and doing at least 10 rows or until you have a good sample to go by.

MEASUREMENTS

• Measure the circumference of your dog's legs
• Measure the length of leg you want to have the sock(s) cover
• Write these measurements down
• Calculate how many stitches you would need to cast on, based onthe number of stitches you produce per cm or inch
• Don't worry if you're off by a stitch or two, just get as close as possible - use your sample piece as a rough double check

MATERIALS

• Knitting needles - Your choice of size
• Crochet needle - Your choice of size
• Yarns - At least 15 feet or 5 meters for one sock

COST

• Knitting needles - USD 3 to 6
• Crochet needle - USD 3 to 6
• Yarn - USD 1 to 12 per skein

TIME

• About an hour to two hours per sock

INSTRUCTIONS FOR KNITTED SOCK

Our dimensions are based on Comet, who weighs 62 lbs.

• Cast on 28 stitches
• Rows 1 through 10: Knit 2, Purl 2, repeat to end
• Row 11: Knit all the way across
• Row 12: Purl all the way across
• Repeat rows 11 and 12 for 44 rows
• Rows 46 to 54: Knit 2, Purl 2, repeat to end
• Bind off
• Sew the two seams together, using the same color yarn
• Do not overlap the seams as that may create an uncomfortable ridge
• If desired, apply embroidery using a contrasting yarn

INSTRUCTIONS FOR CROCHETED SOCK

• Chain 18 stitches
• Turn, chain 3, then do triple crochet all the way across
• Important: For a smoother weave, insert through one loop, not two, when picking up the yarn from the previous row
• Turn, chain 3, and do a second row of triple crochet
• Turn, chain 1, single crochet all the way across
• Repeat rows until one inch (25mm) from the length you want
• Turn, chain 3, triple crochet across
• Turn, chain 3, triple crochet across and bind off, leaving enough yarn for the seam
• Try the sock on your dog to see if it's wide enough
• If not, add a row or two of single crochet across the length
• Use a sewing needle or your crochet hook to join the two lengths in as flat a seam as possible
• Add embroidery or other decoration in contrasting yarn

Jo used her crochet hook to make a string of chain stitch and then sewed it onto the sock with needle and thread.

Well, that's all there is to it when you make dog socks. The hard part might be getting your dog to wear them with delight instead of disgust!

If you're in knitting or crocheting mode and want to do more than to make dog socks, why not head to our homemade dog sweaters page to get links to some good free dog sweater patterns?

Happy crafting!